Saturday, April 30, 2011

Tonight is the opening night of the 2011 Royal Bank Cup. The Fred Page Cup & Doyle Cup Champion Vernon Vipers are making their ninth appearance in the RBC Cup trying to become the first team in history to win three straight National Championships. The Vipers are also going for a record seventh RBC Cup. The Vipers are coming off a seven game series victory over the AJHL Spruce Grove Saints. The Host AJHL Camrose Kodiaks are making their fifth appearance in the Royal Bank Cup and trying to win just their second National Championship. The Kodiaks were knocked out in the AJHL Finals in five games by the Spruce Grove Saints. You can listen to tonight's game live on 107.5 Kiss FM with Todd Miller and Don Klepp starting with the pre game show at 5:45 PM (BC Time)

This is just the second meeting between these two teams after Camrose defeated Vernon in six games winning the Doyle Cup back in 2003

1st Round: Camrose defeated Drumheller in four games
South Division Semi-Finals: Camrose defeated Brooks in seven games
South Division Final: Camrose defeated Okotoks in seven games
AJHL Finals-Enerflex Cup: Spruce Grove defeated Camrose in five games

Camrose Kodiaks Playoff Stats:

-Camrose has the 6th best powerplay in the AJHL playoffs

-The Kodiaks have the 2nd best penalty kill during the AJHL post season

EDMONTON - After an 18-day layoff, Boris Rybalka believes his Camrose Kodiaks are prepared to be more than just cordial hosts as the Alberta Junior Hockey League club begins RBC Cup play Saturday night at home at the Edgeworth Centre.

With the national Junior A hockey championship on the line, the Kodiaks begin play in the five-team tournament in Camrose at 7 p.m. against the two-time defending Canadian champion Vernon Vipers, who are coming off a thrilling seven-game Doyle Cup series win over the Spruce Grove Saints to earn the Pacific region nod.

The Saints had eliminated Rybalka and the Kodiaks in five games in the AJHL championship series earlier this month.

“We didn’t want to lose in the championship final, but 18 days has done wonders for healing injuries and recouping and getting our energy levels back up after playing 23 playoff games, so it turned out to be a positive,” said Rybalka, who immediately handed his team four days off before getting back into the swing of things.

The time off allows the likes of Jordan Hale, Tyler Skague, Mario Boilard and Jesse Altheim – who were all unavailable through the AJHL final – to get back on the roster.

“They’ll all be ready to play, so that’s awesome,” said Rybalka, who has also used his time wisely in scouting the competition which includes the Portage Terriers as West region reps, the Wellington Dukes from Central and Pembroke Lumber Kings from the East.

“It’s strange. It’s our sixth time in an RBC and it’s the first time for myself and the coaching staff to watch other teams,” said Rybalka, whose Kodiaks won the RBC Cup championship in 2001 and claimed Doyle Cup (the Alberta vs. B.C. Championship series) victories in 2001, ’03, ’05, ’07 and ’08. “We watched Spruce Grove and Vernon, but also saw La Ronge and Portage and Pembroke and Wellington.”

Portage defeated La Ronge in a Game 7 scenario for the Anavet Cup in Manitoba.

“We’ve got a pretty good read on all the teams that are here,” insisted Rybalka. “We’ve made our notes, pre-scouted and are prepping the boys on what their tendencies may be, but at the same time we want to focus on what we want to do in executing against these teams.”

The Kodiaks will open against a solid Vipers team that just knocked off Spruce Grove, which was rated No. 1 nationally for most of the season.

“We like it. When a schedule is set like that we want to play Pacific because we know the region is good,” said Rybalka. “Alberta and B.C. are strong hockey regions and it’s a perfect way to start the Royal Bank Cup.

“When they threw out that proposed schedule to us, we accepted it right off the bat. We thought it was great. To play the defending RBC champs – what better way to kick off the tournament. They’re solid defensively, solid through the neutral zone.

“They don’t make many mistakes. The key to their team is they all have good speed, but they all buy-in (to the system). You just have to turn around and be tenacious against them and go after them. We’ve watched some of the videos and some of their games. They’re a very well coached team that plays a solid, smart game.”

And Rybalka, more than anyone, should know just what a role the host team can play in this event. It was in 2005 that his Kodiaks lost a tough last-minute 3-2 decision to the RBC Cup host Weyburn Red Wings in that championship final in Saskatchewan, a gut-wrenching defeat.

“Our goal is to bring a national championship back to Camrose and back to Alberta and we know exactly what it will take,” said Rybalka. “We have prepared this team so that it knows that every game this week will be like a Game 7.”

Former Vernon Lakers captain, Bruce Ramsay & the CHL Tulsa Oilers season ended last weekend with a 5-4 loss to the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. The Mudbugs won the series in five games. Ramsay who is in his second season with the Oilers, played just one season in Vernon helping the 1989-90 Vernon Lakers win their first Centennial Cup in a thrilling 6-5 overtime win over the highly favorite New Westminster Royals.

This is posted on the Oilers website:

Game 5 Tulsa 4 - Bossier-Shreveport 5

BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT WINS SERIES 3-2

Bossier City, LA - The Tulsa Oilers saw their season come to an end in a frantic 5-4 loss to the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs Saturday night in Bossier City. The victory gives Bossier-Shreveport a 3-2 win in the best of five Berry Conference semifinal series. Bossier-Shreveport moves on to meet the Allen Americans in the best-of-seven conference final.

The Oilers trailed 4-1 heading into the third period but goals by Evan Kotsopoulos and Michel Beausoleil just 57 seconds apart cut the lead to 4-3 with 14:03 to play.

Shawn Limpright reclaimed a two goal lead for Bossier-Shreveport midway in the third but Chad Costello scored a power play goal with 4:31 left setting up the desparate finish for the Oilers.

Nick Layton had opened the scoring for Bossie-Shreveport in the first period but Bates Battaglia tied it for the Oilers taking advanatage of a giveaway in the Bossier-Shreveport zone. Before the first period ended Andy Contois scored a breakaway goal to make it 2-1 for the Mudbugs.

They stretched the lead on second period goals by Brett Smith and David Rutherford, but the Oilers battled back in the third period, just to see thier rally come up one goal short.

Friday, April 29, 2011

For the third straight year I will be making the long trip to the Royal Bank Cup. Two years ago I followed the Vernon Vipers to Victoria BC for the 2009 Royal Bank Cup catching all the games, before making the trip to last years RBC Cup in Dauphin, Manitoba. This will be my fourth Centennial Cup-Royal Bank Cup Championship I will have now attended. After a long 12 hour drive, I finally arrived here in Camrose about 40 minutes ago. I will be posting news, info and game previews as well as my game recaps through out the RBC Cup. Stay tuned for more.

They have already played more than a full NHL season worth of hockey, but the best is yet to come for the Vernon Vipers.

Saturday’s Royal Bank Cup opener against tournament host Camrose Kodiaks will be Vernon’s 84th tilt of the 2010-11 campaign as they strive to become the first-ever team to record three straight national junior A championships.

By this point, there is little more coaches Mark Ferner and Jason Williamson can do with regards to teaching the Vipers. The systems are in place, the character of the team is well-established and the players know what’s at stake.

“Jason and I, we have a little saying that…‘the hay is in the barn.’ When the game starts, it’s up to the players. We don’t score the goals, we don’t block the shots,” said Ferner, now in his fourth year behind the Viper bench.

With 14 new faces in the lineup to start the season, most pundits wouldn’t have picked the Vipers to repeat as B.C. Hockey League champions, let alone return to the national stage. Ferner credits his veterans for instilling the winning mind-set in the locker room.

“The culture that we have is spectacular. They just want to be around the rink,” said Ferner.

“We will represent the Vernon Vipers, the B.C. Hockey League, the city.”

The Kodiaks haven’t seen action since they bowed to the Spruce Grove Saints in the Alberta championship series on April 9. If there is one thing the layoff has given the Kodiaks, it is healthy bodies.

“Those are four guys who didn’t play in the Spruce series. That is four key guys all muckers and grinders; three of the four are 20 year olds,” Rybalka told the Wetaskiwin Times.

“You can see where at times one guy coming back makes a difference… we have four.”

Rybalka, 44, making his sixth appearance in the RBC tourney, added: “Our goal is that on that Mother’s Day (May 8) we raise that RBC Cup.”

Just three Vipers have been through both RBC Cup runs in Victoria and Dauphin, Man. – defencemen Stevie Weinstein and Adam Thompson, and winger Bryce Kakoske.

The trio have each competed in at least half a dozen elimination games, including Game 7s in Fred Page and Doyle Cup playoff series, as well as semifinals and gold-medal games at the RBC.

“Every game is a Game 7, especially when you get into the playoff round (at the RBC). We’re not strangers to that,” said Weinstein, a Los Angeles product who is committed to the NCAA Division 1 Bentley Falcons.

Thompson, who led all Vernon blueliners with two goals and an assist in the Doyle series, says the RBC never gets old.

“This one will be a great time too. I’m really excited to do it this time with a whole bunch of new guys,” said the Calgary blueliner, a Yale Bulldogs prospect.

“Every year it’s been a new captaincy to raise the cup. My first year it was great to see Crow (Chris Crowell) lift it, then Krauser (Kevin Kraus) felt even greater, and if Dave (Robinson) gets a chance it’ll be a great feeling for me and the guys.”

As is the nature of playoff hockey, the Vipers have endured their share of injury woes. Dane Muench, Max Mowat, Phil Patenaude, Colton Sparrow, Kyle Murphy and Pat McGillis have all missed time to injury at some point during the post-season. Others have simply played through various bumps and bruises.

“It’s pretty easy to battle through some wounds when you’re playing for a national championship. We just dig deep, realize what’s on the line and put it all out there,” grinned Thompson.

SNAKE BITES: Viper forward Dylan Walchuk was named BCHL Player of the Week. The McBride product had points in each of the Vipers’ three road wins over the host Spruce Grove Saints, helping the Snakes to their third consecutive Doyle Cup. He ended the best-of-seven series with four goals and two assists, and now has a team-leading 21 points in the 23 playoff games...With the ice out at Wesbild Centre, the Vipers have been practising at Priest Valley Arena this week... In four seasons behind the bench, Ferner and Williamson have guided the Vipers to an impressive 165-51-7-17 regular-season record, and are 53-25 in playoff action (not including the RBC).

After winning a record third straight Doyle Cup the Vernon Vipers will be making their record 9th trip to the Centennial Cup-Royal Bank Cup and a chance at becoming the first Junior hockey team in history to win three straight National Championships.

Over the next few days and leading up to the 2011 Royal Bank Cup I thought I would take a look back and go through each of the years and give a recap on all of Vernon's previous eight trip's to the National Championship starting with the Vernon Lakers first appearence at the 1989 Centennial Cup wich was hosted by the Summerside Western Capitals in the city of Summerside, Prince Edward Island.

The Vernon Lakers finished first place in the Interior Division with a record of 40-19-1 good for 81 pts The Lakers finished #2 overall 10 pts behind the #1 ranked New Westminster Royals who collected 91 pts. Here’s a rundown on how the Lakers did through out the BCJHL’s Playoffs to advance to the teams first ever Centennial Cup.

Bylaws and development issues were cast aside Tuesday as city council members took time to praise the Vipers, who clinched a record third straight Doyle Cup Sunday, and now head off to the RBC Cup national junior A tournament in Camrose, Alta.

“Congratulations to the Vipers,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert.

The first game in the RBC Cup takes place Saturday, and the franchise will be pushing to win a seventh national victory and a third consecutive championship.

“They have put Vernon on the national stage,” said Coun. Jack Gilroy of the exposure the Vipers generate.

Gilroy is getting ready to pack his bags so he can personally cheer on his favourite team in Camrose.

“They are a great group of guys and real ambassadors for Vernon,” he said.

After winning a record third straight Doyle Cup the Vernon Vipers will be making their record 9th trip to the Centennial Cup-Royal Bank Cup and a chance at becoming the first Junior hockey team in history to win three straight National Championships.

Over the next few days and leading up to the 2011 Royal Bank Cup I thought I would take a look back and go through each of the years and give a recap on all of Vernon's eight trip's to the National Championship starting with the Vernon Lakers second straight appearence at the 1990 Centennial Cup wich was hosted by the Vernon Lakers and the city of Vernon, British Columbia.

The Vernon Lakers were this years host for the 1990 Centennial Cup. Vernon finished first place in the Interior Division with a record of 33-20-5 good for 71 pts The Lakers finished #3 overall in the BCJHL standings. Here’s a rundown on how the Lakers did through out the BCJHL’s Playoffs to advance to the teams second straight Centennial Cup.

Preliminary Roundrobin Series:

Vernon finished off with a record of 5-2.

BCJHL League Finals: New Westminster defeated Vernon 4-2

Vernon would advance to its second straight Centennial Cup as the host team.

The Centennial Cup 1990 is the Tier II Junior "A" 1990 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.

The Centennial Cup was competed for by the winners of the Doyle Cup, Anavet Cup, Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Callaghan Cup, and a host city.

The tournament was hosted by the Vernon Lakers and Vernon, British Columbia.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Road to the 2011 RBC Cup is complete. Eight months ago, 137 teams, from Port Alberni, B.C., to Woodstock, N.B., began the 2010-11 season with dreams of being crowned national Junior A champions at the Edgeworth Centre on May 8. Now, just five remain.

Here’s a look at who will be in Camrose:

CENTRAL REGION – WELLINGTON DUKES

The OJHL’s No. 2 seed entering the postseason, the Dukes rolled through the league’s playoffs with relatively ease, never trailing in any of their four series, and dropping only four games in wins over Upper Canada, Villanova, Stouffille and Oakville, the defending league champions. A perennial contender, the league title is just the second for the Dukes, who were OJHL champions in 2003, when they lost to Humboldt in the RBC Cup semifinals.

At the Dudley Hewitt Cup in Huntsville, Ont., the Dukes looked to be well on their way to Camrose with 7-2 and 7-1 wins over Wisconsin (SIJHL) and Soo (NOJHL), but the host Otters forced Wellington to play a semifinal, winning 3-2 in double overtime to earn the automatic bye to the final. Unlike their round robin meeting with Soo the Dukes didn’t walk away with an easy victory, needing a Sean Rudy goal midway through the fourth extra period to advance.

Returning to the ice just 16 hours after Rudy’s heroics, Wellington kept pace with the rested Otters for two period before Darcy Greenaway and Joe Zarbo scored goals in the third period to give the Dukes the Central Region championship and book their ticket to Camrose, where they’ll look to become just the third Central team to win the national title since the start of the five-team format in 1990.

EAST REGION – PEMBROKE LUMBER KINGS

For the fifth year in a row the Lumber Kings hoisted the Bogart Cup as CCHL champions, but this marks only their second trip to the National Junior A Championship in that stretch. After a regional title in 2007, Pembroke lost the Fred Page Cup final in 2008 and 2010, and fell in the semifinal in 2009. But thanks to a high-powered offence, there would be no coming up short in 2011.

After averaging just over five goals per game in their run to the CCHL title, the Lumber Kings doubled that to open the Fred Page Cup in Terrebonne, Que., racking up 20 in wins over LHJAAAQ champion Longueuil (11-3) and MHL titlist Summerside (9-5). A loss to the host Cobras in its final round robin contest didn’t hurt Pembroke, which earned a bye to the final by finishing atop the standings thanks to its impressive +11 goal differential in three games.

Matching up with Longueuil once again in the championship game, the Lumber Kings took a 5-1 lead with four unanswered goals in a stretch of 7:50 over the first and second periods en route to a 6-3 victory and the team’s sixth trip to the national championship. Pembroke finished as runner-up in 1973 and 1977 in the days of the East vs. West best-of-seven final and were semifinalists in 1987, 1988 and 2007.

PACIFIC REGION – VERNON VIPERS

They’re back. The two-time defending national champions will take to the ice in Camrose looking for their seventh national title – only one other team, the Prince Albert Raiders, has won more than two. The Vipers were comeback kids in the BCHL playoffs – they trailed Westside 2-1 in the second round and were down 2-0 to Salmon Arm in the Interior Conference final going on the road – but saved their best for the Doyle Cup.

After opening the Pacific Regional series victory – their ninth in a row dating back to the Salmon Arm series – the Vipers dropped Games 2 and 3 to Spruce Grove on home ice, sending the series back to Alberta, where the Saints had lost just five times in 37 regular season playoff games. Vernon took Games 4 and 5 to put itself on the brink of a third straight trip to the RBC Cup, but the Saints, who sat atop the national rankings for much of the season, forced a deciding Game 7.

A 2-0 Vernon lead was erased by a pair of special teams goals by the Saints – one on the power play and one shorthanded. The game stayed even until the dying minutes of the third period, when Vipers captain David Robinson poked home a loose puck for the game-winner in an eventual 4-2 victory, making Vernon the first team to qualify for three straight national championships since the 1989-92 Vernon Lakers, who went to four in a row.

WEST REGION – PORTAGE TERRIERS

One of three teams in this year’s field to previously win a national championship – Vernon and Camrose are the others – the Terriers head west to Alberta looking to add an RBC Cup to the Centennial Cup they won in 1973. After a tense opening round against Swan Valley, where the Terriers needed double overtime to win each of the first two games, lost the next two and finally dispatched the Stampeders in five, they ended the reign of Dauphin and topped Selkirk in the league final, winning Portage’s third Turnbull Cup in four years.

Opening the ANAVET Cup on home ice against La Ronge, the Terriers quickly jumped out to a 2-0 series lead before dropping Games 3 and 4 in northern Saskatchewan as the Ice Wolves evened up the series. Portage scored the series’ first road win in Game 5, but La Ronge’s 1-0 victory in Game 6 back in Portage ensured the back-and-forth West Region championship would go the distance.

A tense seventh game didn’t see its first goal until Shaquille Merasty’s marker for Portage with three minutes to go in the second period, despite the fact the Terriers outshot La Ronge 24-10 in the first 40 minutes. The Harms brothers, Tanner and Brendan, and Kyle Turgeon provided insurance in the third as Portage earned a 4-0 victory and confirmed its entry into the National Junior A Championship for the first time since 2005.

HOST TEAM – CAMROSE KODIAKS

The host Kodiaks are no stranger to the national championship – they were the most successful team of the 2000s, making five appearances in an eight-year stretch, although they have just one national title (2001) to show for it. Camrose had an off year by its standards, finishing third in the AJHL’s South Division, but put together yet another memorable playoff run.

A four-game win over the Drumheller Dragons set up a quarter-final match-up with Brooks, which had finished seven points up on the Kodiaks and enjoyed a first-round bye. Camrose sat on the edge of elimination after a four-overtime loss in Game 5, but came back to win the series in seven games and advance to the South Division final against Okotoks, who finished the regular season as the No. 3 team in Canada. The Oilers jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, again forcing the Kodiaks to play for their playoff lives, but Camrose fought back, winning its third, fourth and fifth elimination games to vanquish Okotoks in seven games and move on to the league final.

The run would end there, however, as the Kodiaks fell in five games to the Spruce Grove Saints, who repeated as AJHL champions. Camrose’s attention now turns to the RBC Cup, where it will hope to be the first host team since Weyburn in 2005 to win the national title. Of the 21 host teams since the start of the six-team format in 1990, only six have won it all, and two of those were from Alberta – Olds in 1994 and Fort McMurray in 2000.

After winning a record third straight Doyle Cup the Vernon Vipers will be making their record 9th trip to the Centennial Cup-Royal Bank Cup and a chance at becoming the first Junior hockey team in history to win three straight National Championships.

Over the next few days and leading up to the 2011 Royal Bank Cup I thought I would take a look back and go through each of the years and give a recap on all of Vernon's previous eight trip's to the National Championship starting with the Vernon Lakers third straight appearence at the 1991 Centennial Cup wich was hosted by the Sudbury Cubs and Sudbury, Ontario.

The Vernon Lakers finished third place in the Interior Division with a record of 37-20-3 good for 77 pts just 4 pts shy of the first place Chilliwack Cheifs. Here’s a rundown on how the Lakers did through out the BCJHL’s Playoffs to advance to the teams third straight Centennial Cup.

Victoria, BC – The Victoria Salmon Kings, proud affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks and Manitoba Moose, announced today that the team has activated forwards Derek Couture and Ryan MacMurchy from their playoff reserve list after returning from the American Hockey League (AHL).

Couture returns to the Salmon Kings from the AHL’s Connecticut Whale where he played in 20 contests to finish the regular season. After joining Connecticut on March 1st he finished the season with 10 points (6g-4a) and 22 minutes in penalties. Couture also dressed for six games with the Whale in the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs, scoring two points (1g-1a) to match four penalty minutes. The veteran forward has played in 25 games with the Salmon Kings this season where he scored eight goals and assisted on 11 others for 19 points with 76 penalty minutes.

MacMurchy also returns to the Victoria lineup following time in the AHL with the Abbotsford Heat. Prior to joining the Heat on February 24th, he amassed 33 points (16g-17a) and 54 minutes in penalties across 39 games. During his time in Abbotsford, MacMurchy complied seven points (5g-2a) in 18 appearances and also tallied 23 penalty minutes.

The Salmon Kings open Round Three of the 2011 Kelly Cup Playoffs tonight in Anchorage with Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals versus the Aces. Puck drop is at 8:15 p.m. To watch or listen live to Salmon Kings’ hockey, visit www.salmonkings.com. Victoria returns home to the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for games 3, 4, 5 beginning Saturday, April 30th at 7:05 p.m. Tickets for all three home dates are on sale now and are available for as low as $5. Tickets will be available in person at the Select Your Tickets Box Office, online at www.selectyourtickets.com or over the phone at 250-220-7777.

After winning a record third straight Doyle Cup the Vernon Vipers will be making their record 9th trip to the Centennial Cup-Royal Bank Cup and a chance at becoming the first Junior hockey team in history to win three straight National Championships.

Over the next few days and leading up to the 2011 Royal Bank Cup I thought I would take a look back and go through each of the years and give a recap on all of Vernon's previous eight trip's to the National Championship starting with the Vernon Lakers record fourth straight appearence at the 1992 Centennial Cup wich was hosted by the St. James Canadians and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The Vernon Lakers finished in fourth place in the Interior Division with a record of 34-23-3 was good for 71 pts. Here’s a rundown on how the Lakers did through out the BCJHL’s Playoffs to advance to the teams record fourth straight Centennial Cup.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

After winning a record third straight Doyle Cup the Vernon Vipers will be making their record 9th trip to the Centennial Cup-Royal Bank Cup and a chance at becoming the first Junior hockey team in history to win three straight National Championships.

Over the next few days and leading up to the 2011 Royal Bank Cup I thought I would take a look back and go through each of the years and give a recap on all of Vernon's previous eight trip's to the National Championship starting with the Vernon Vipers fifth appearence at the 1996 Royal Bank Cup wich was hosted by the the Melfort Mustangs and Melfort, Saskatchewan.

After new ownership and some struggling seasons the Lakers were sold once again, Duncan Wray would change the historic Lakers name to the Vernon Vipers and in 1996 win its first Royal Bank Cup. That year the Centennial Cup had also changed names, now called the Royal Bank Cup. The Vernon Vipers finished in first place in the Interior Division just two pts back of the league leading Chilliwack Cheifs. The Vipers finished the season with a record of 43-13-4 wich was good for 90 pts. Here’s a rundown on how the Vipers did through out the BCJHL’s Playoffs to advance to the teams fifth National Championship winning its 3rd title.

Here is a article on former Vernon Vipers defenceman, Nyjer Morgan that was posted on the Milwaukee Brewers website Friday. Morgan played two games with the Vipers as an "AP" back during the 1996-97 season.

This is posted on the Brewers website:

Brewers activate Hawkins; Morgan on DL

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | 04/22/11

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers activated reliever LaTroy Hawkins from the disabled list amid a flurry of moves Thursday, which also included placing outfielder Nyjer Morgan on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Monday.

Not only did the team reach a five-year, $105 million contract extension with Ryan Braun on Thursday that runs at least through 2020, it tweaked the roster ahead of a weekend series against the Astros. Hawkins was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list, where he had resided to start the season as he worked back from last year's right shoulder surgery.

The Brewers optioned reliever Mike McClendon back to Triple-A Nashville to make room for Hawkins, but they also outrighted catcher George Kottaras to Nashville to clear space for right-handed starter Shaun Marcum to return from the bereavement list. Marcum won't start until Saturday night, but he's expected back at Miller Park on Friday and general manager Doug Melvin said the rules of the bereavement list dictate a move must be made immediately upon a player's return.

Marcum's father underwent successful heart surgery on Tuesday.

Late Thursday night, the Brewers placed Morgan on the disabled list with a lingering deep bruise in his right thigh, suffered last week in a home-plate collision in Pittsburgh. The Brewers had hoped to keep Morgan off the DL, but his injury has been slow to heal.

To take Morgan's spot, the team will purchase outfielder Brandon Boggs' contract from Nashville. The switch-hitter batted .308 in his first 14 games with the Sounds after being one of the final roster cuts in Spring Training.

After winning a record third straight Doyle Cup the Vernon Vipers will be making their record 9th trip to the Centennial Cup-Royal Bank Cup and a chance at becoming the first Junior hockey team in history to win three straight National Championships.

Over the next few days and leading up to the 2011 Royal Bank Cup I thought I would take a look back and go through each of the years and give a recap on all of Vernon's previous eight trip's to the National Championship starting with the Vernon Vipers sixth appearence at the 1999 Royal Bank Cup wich was hosted by the Yorkton Terriers and Yorkton, Saskatchewan.

The Vernon Vipers finished with its best season in club history. Finishing top spots in the Interior Division & #1 overall in the BCHL as the leagues best team with a record of 50-6-2 wich was good for 106 pts. Here’s a rundown on how the Vipers did through out the BCHL’s Playoffs to advance to the teams record sixth National Championship & 2nd in the last three years.

SPRUCE GROVE – Rankings don’t seem to mean a whole lot to the Vernon Vipers. Just ask the Powell River Kings and, more recently, the Spruce Grove Saints.

After sweeping the Kings, rated No. 2 in the Canadian Junior A Hockey League poll, in the Fred Page Cup, the Vipers knocked off the No. 1 Saints in Game 7 of the Doyle Cup regional series for the second straight year. They are the first team to record three straight Doyle titles, and will commence their defence of the RBC Cup national junior A crown Saturday in Camrose against the host Kodiaks.

Other regional champions competing in the five-team round-robin tourney include Portage Terriers of Manitoba (Western), Wellington Dukes (Central) and Pembroke Lumber Kings (Eastern); the latter two clubs are from Ontario.

As was the case throughout the Doyle series, Game 7 was a tight-checking tilt between two systematic clubs Sunday night at Grant Fuhr Arena. Deadlocked 2-2 after 40 minutes, David Robinson scored the series winner with six minutes to play on an odd-man rush as Vernon skated to a 4-2 win.

Saints’ defenceman Jesse Slobodian hit the outside post with a point shot and Kyle Murphy scooped up the loose puck and wheeled up ice with linemates Robinson and Bryce Kakoske, who threw a puck on net just in time for the Viper captain to redirect it over netminder Vince Marozzi’s right shoulder.

“There’s some people outside this dressing room that didn’t think we’d get by the Westsides and Salmon Arms. Not a lot of people gave us an opportunity against the No. 2 team in the country in Powell River, and then coming into this building knowing how good they are, the No. 1 team, I’m just extremely proud of our boys,” said Vipers’ head coach Mark Ferner.

“We try to bring certain players into this program, and first and foremost they have to be good kids. They sacrificed so much for this, not only on the ice, but off the ice.”

Murphy, named Vernon’s game MVP and one of the Vipers’ most reliable forwards throughout the series, is thrilled to be a part of this drive to the RBC.

“With the guys who have been here for a couple years, you can sense the energy and it’s kind of addictive. The whole playoff run has been a great experience,” said Murphy, who came back to play junior A after a season with the NCAA Division 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

After suffering a deflating 2-0 shutout loss in Game 6 Saturday night, the Vipers needed just 38 seconds to solve Marozzi Sunday as Dane Muench buried the first shot of the game, netting the rebound off a Brett Corkey blast from the point.

Dylan Walchuk, who led all Vernon scorers with four goals and two assists, made it 2-0 when he took a chip pass from Marcus Basara at the blueline and fired a weak backhander that squeaked through Marozzi's five-hole at 14:05.

The Saints' Scott Allen replied just over a minute later on the powerplay, snapping a shot just inside the right post from the high slot to re-energize 1,300 fans. Allen was the top Doyle sniper with 6+1.

After trailing 5-1 on the shot clock early in the game, the Saints ended the first period with a flurry to outshoot the Snakes 13-9 and carry momentum into the second.

Josh Keizer equalized for Spruce Grove on a tremendous shorthanded effort at 6:37, blocking Adam Thompson's point shot and then winning a foot race to break in alone to score on Kirby Halcrow.

Thompson, one of three Vipers to return for a third straight RBC (Kakoske and Stevie Weinstein are the others) made amends for his earlier mishap by lofting a clearing shot 180 feet into the empty Spruce Grove net with 20 seconds to play.

“For a little while down the ice there it was going wide, but it got a good bounce when it landed. It lifted the pressure a little bit for us,” grinned the Calgary native.

“I was just hoping I got that opportunity because I kind of blew it a little bit for the boys in the second. Sometimes things just work out.”

Coming into the season, the Viper veterans knew they would be counted on to lead the way.

Said Weinstein: “With how many guys we lost, Ferns kind of wanted to lean on our veterans and our experience. Ferns told us we got to believe. Not too many people thought we’d be in this position except the guys in our locker room. It’s nice to prove all the outsiders wrong.”

Spruce Grove head coach Jason Mckee shrugged in his post-game interview, as if to ask what more could his team do.

“There’s not a lot to choose between the two teams. That was a great hockey game and it’s one of those things; they hit the post and it goes the other way and they won a stick battle on the third goal. But it wasn’t one play that won or lost this series,” said Mckee.

When asked what he told his players after the game, the classy coach replied: “That’s between us. There’s not a lot to say at this point. Those kids gave everything they had this year to get themselves in this position and to fall short by one goal, it’s tough.”

SNAKE BITES: Vipers d-man Max Mowat was rocked by Spruce Grove captain Bryce Van Brabant early in the first period. The rookie d-man lay prone on the ice for several seconds before struggling to his feet and labouring off the ice. He did not return.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

After winning a record third straight Doyle Cup the Vernon Vipers will be making their record 9th trip to the Centennial Cup-Royal Bank Cup and a chance at becoming the first Junior hockey team in history to win three straight National Championships.

Over the next few days and leading up to the 2011 Royal Bank Cup I thought I would take a look back and go through each of the years and give a recap on all of Vernon's previous eight trip's to the National Championship starting with the Vernon Vipers seventh appearence at the 2009 Royal Bank Cup wich was hosted by the the Victoria Grizzlies.

The Vernon Vipers finished with with a record of 42-14-1-2 top spots in the Interior Division & #2 overall in the BCHL. Here’s a rundown on how the Vipers did through out the BCHL’s Playoffs to advance to the teams record seventh National Championship.

The 2009 Royal Bank Cup is the Junior "A" 2009 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. 2009 marked the 14th year the Royal Bank Cup has been awarded and the 39th year of modern Junior "A" hockey.
The Royal Bank Cup was competed for by the winners of the Doyle Cup, Anavet Cup, Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Fred Page Cup and the host city, the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League.

The tournament was hosted by the Victoria Grizzlies and run from May 2 to May 10 of 2009 with games played at the Bear Mountain Arena in Victoria, British Columbia.
The Vernon Vipers won the 2009 Royal Bank Cup with a 2-0 win over the Humboldt Broncos.

Teams

Victoria Grizzlies (Host) - The Grizzlies are the hosts of the 2009 Royal Bank Cup. The Grizzlies finished the British Columbia Hockey League regular season with both the best record in the Coastal Conference and the overall league. Victoria ran into a tough Powell River Kings team in the Conference Final, where the Grizzlies fell in Game 7.
Regular Season: 43 wins, 13 losses, 1 ties, 3 overtime losses

Humboldt Broncos (Western) - The Broncos are the defending 2008 Royal Bank Cup champions. After easily brushing through the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs, the Broncos found themselves down 3-games-to-1 in the Anavet Cup to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's Portage Terriers. The Broncos came to life in Game 5 to win 12-2, they won Game 6 in Overtime, and in Game 7 they rallied from a three goal deficit in the third period to force overtime to win the Anavet Cup in the extra frame.

Kingston Voyageurs (Central) - The Voyageurs, the top team in the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Rudduck Division, battled through five rounds of league playoffs to win the Ruddock Division crown, the Conference championship, and the Buckland Cup as OJHL champions. At the Dudley Hewitt Cup in Schreiber, Ontario, the Voyageurs defeated the Superior International Junior Hockey League's Fort William North Stars 4-1 in the tournament final.

Summerside Western Capitals (Eastern) - The Capitals finished the 2008-09 regular season with the best record in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. Summerside had little problem battling through the three rounds of Maritime League playoffs to move on to the Fred Page Cup in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Capitals defeated the Dieppe Commandos in the tournament final 3-2 in double overtime, pelting their goaltender with 71 shots on net before finally taking their place in the 2009 Royal Bank Cup.

Vernon Vipers (Pacific) - The Vipers were the top team in the British Columbia Hockey League's Interior Conference and second best overall behind Victoria. The Vipers convincingly walked through the BCHL playoffs, defeating all three of their opponents to win the League championship. In the Doyle Cup, the Viper made quick work of the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Grande Prairie Storm with a 4-games-sweep to clinch their spot in the 2009 Royal Bank Cup.

Former Vernon Vipers goaltender, Andrew Hammond has been named the Bowling Green's best defensive player award & most valuable player award at the Falcons year end awards banquet last week. Hammond played two seasons with the Vipers (2007-2009).

This is posted on the Falcons website:

First Year of New Era Closes with Annual Awards Banquet

The 2010-11 officially came to a close this past weekend with the annual team awards banquet.

by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

4/19/2011

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- The inaugural year of the Chris Bergeron era has officially come to a close after the team held its annual awards banquet this weekend at the BGSU Ice Area. The Falcons took time on Sunday to reflect on their first season under their new head coach, honor the four-man senior class and distribute season honors to eight different Falcon players and staff members for their contributions to the 2010-11 season.

Despite the season not having the level of success as many had hoped the Falcons celebrated the ushering in of a new brand of BGSU hockey. Players, coaches, staff, family, fans and supporters of the Brown and Orange gathered in the hundreds to honor those that put their bodies and hearts out on the ice night after night.

Among the award winners on the afternoon, sophomore goaltender Andrew Hammond (Surrey, British Columbia) was named the Jim Sears Most Valuable Player for his work between the pipes all season long. The duo of Camden Wojtala (Trenton, Mich.) and Brett Mohler (Yorba Linda, Calif.) was named the Falcons’ Rookies of the Year, combining for a line of 13 goals, 22 assists and 35 points. Falcon seniors David Solway (Green Bay, Wisc.), Wade Finegan (Toronto, Ontario), Nick Eno (Howell, Mich.) and Andrew Krelove (Thunder Bay, Ontario) were all recognized for their four-year BGSU careers that defined "dedication".

A complete list of team awards is listed below.

Bowling Green finished the season with an overall mark of 10-27-4 and a 3-21-4 conference mark with a pair of shootout victories. The team rebounded after losing seven of its last eight games in the regular season by become the first team in Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) history to win a playoff series as the lowest seeded team in the conference tournament winning two of three games at Northern Michigan in the first round of the CCHA Tournament. The team witnessed four dedicated seniors, led by captain David Solway, finish their Falcon careers as some of the most dedicated individuals to walk through the corridors of the BGSU Ice Arena and a second-year post master emerge as the bright spot between the pipes that helped lead the team to its first playoff victory since 2007-08.

After winning a record third straight Doyle Cup the Vernon Vipers will be making their record 9th trip to the Centennial Cup-Royal Bank Cup and a chance at becoming the first Junior hockey team in history to win three straight National Championships.

Over the next few days and leading up to the 2011 Royal Bank Cup I thought I would take a look back and go through each of the years and give a recap on all of Vernon's previous eight trip's to the National Championship starting with the Vernon Vipers eighth appearence at the 2010 Royal Bank Cup wich was hosted by the Dauphin Kings.

The Vernon Vipers finished with with a record of 51-6-0-3 top spots in the Interior Division & #1 overall in the BCHL. Here’s a rundown on how the Vipers did through out the BCHL’s Playoffs to advance to the teams record eighth National Championship.

The 2010 Royal Bank Cup was the Junior "A" 2010 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The 2010 Royal Bank Cup marked the 40th consecutive year a national championship has been awarded to this skill level since the breakaway of Major Junior hockey in 1970.

The Royal Bank Cup was competed for by the winners of the Doyle Cup, Anavet Cup, Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Fred Page Cup and the host city, the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

The tournament was hosted by the Dauphin Kings and ran from May 1 to May 9 of 2010 with games played at the Credit Union Place in Dauphin, Manitoba.[1] Charlie Major will be appearing as a special guest the night before the opening game.[2]

In the end, the defending 2009 Royal Bank Cup champion Vernon Vipers were too much for the hometown Dauphin Kings, crushing them 8-1 in the final.[3] In another lopsided results, during the round robin, the Brockville Braves crushed the Oakville Blades 11-2 to tie two different tournament records (goal by a winning team in one game, one game spread).[4]

1990 & 1991 Vernon Lakers Inducted Into Okanagan Sports Hall Of Fame

The 1969-70 & 1971-72 Vernon Essos were inducted into the Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame in November 2014

1999 Vernon Vipers Inducted Into BC Hockey Hall Of Fame

The 1999 Vernon Vipers were inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame In July 2016

On December 2nd 2017 the Vernon Vipers honoured the 1956 Vernon Canadians and former Vernon Esso's legend Wayne Dye. The 1956 Vernon Canadians Allen Cup banner along side Wayne Dye's #8 Legends banner were raised to the rafters at Kal Tire Place

Kal Tire Place-Home to the Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame

The Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1982 through the vision of Vernon resident and sports enthusiast, Nick Alexis. With the support of Vernon City Council, Alexis and a dedicated group of volunteers created a series of outdoor exhibits celebrating the region’s dynamic sporting history in Vernon’s Cenotaph Park. That same year, the new organization unveiled its first round of inductees to the Hall of Fame. Several years later, in 2001, the Hall of Fame moved its exhibits into the newly constructed Vernon Multiplex now known as Kal Tire Place.

About Me

I first created this blog in November of 2008. This coming season will be my ninth season doing this blog. I was born and raised in Vernon, BC and have been going to Junior Hockey games in Vernon since I was a young child. I purchased my first set of season tickets in 1990
I have had season tickets for the last 26 years, Since 1990 I have missed 42 home games.
In September of 2009 I missed my first home game since 2002-03 wich my streak of 236 straight Vipers home games came to an end. Ive missed just three Vipers home games since the 1998-1999 season.
I worked with the Vipers back in 2003-04 as colour comentator helping out with a few games over the internet. In 2011 I helped deisgn, create and put together the Vipers new website for the 2011-12 season. I ran and updated the Vipers website for five seasons, keeping all staff bios and pictures updated, adding new game photos, doing a game preview on game days, as well as adding any Vipers news, scores or BCHL news through out the season.
Over the years I have travelled to Victoria, Dauphin & Camrose to watch the Vipers in the RBC Cup. I was also at the 1990 Centennial Cup & 2014 RBC Cup in Vernon.